Wolf (Family)
"To Serve, Conquer and Rule" Garou family motto While there were many generals and commanders serving the Mikado in his early conquest, the Tiger and the Wild Wolf are remembered as the two most important military leaders of that era. While the Tigress was mostly known for her wild fighting abilities, the Wild Wolf is the man who was tasked with conquering the Yunjin lands, combining both martial prowess and strategic acumen. The Wild Wolf was a no-nonsense strategist, with a focus solely on victory above all else, leaving the philosophical debates to his collegues and matters of honors to the courtiers who tried to win favours from the Mikado. Only strength and skill mattered to him, and it is with this ideology that he brought the unified Yunjin kingdom to its knees, even though at the end it was his sons that finished the job. Modern Wolves are warriors above all, the epitome of the "Samurai" for many, even though most wolves couldn't care less about the bushido. While not the purest of all the Sons of Heaven families, often intermarrying with important retainers and servants, most of the Wolves keep the ideals of the Wild Wolf alive. They are also well-known for not having integrated all that well with the Yunjin they rule, keeping their own naming structure and teaching the High Imperial language to their descendants before the local Yunjin tongues. The Garou family The leading family of the Wolf is the Garou family, which can trace their lineage directly to the Wild Wolf first son, but there are many sub-branches and splits in the family, like the Ogami, Lupus and Kibagami. To really know ones standing in the family, it is important to look at the Family Registry of the Wolf descendant you are talking to, tracing back all the twists and turns the marriages and alliances over the years took, finally with seeing which son or daughter of the Wild Wolf the person is descended from. Almost all of the descendants of the Wolf serve in the military, either one of the Wolf's own legion or the larger Imperial Legion, and even outside of the Expanses, someone of Wolf blood is more then likely to serve in the military of the local lord rather than take any other position. This is not to say that there are no Wolf serving in the Bureaucracy (the Kibagami are remarkable in that regards, usually keeping a strong grip on the Ministry of External Affais) or that none of them serve in the Magistracy, however. Any good Wolf will rapidly rise in the ranks and become an officer through their raw ability alone, and it is at this point where they usually choose what kind of commander they want to be, focusing on an important role for them to master. The Wolf families have never integrated in the northern Yunjin customs or traditions, keeping to themselves as a mean to show that they are different from those they conquered. While this might look strange to someone that reads military strategies, the Wild Wolf understood that the Sons of Heaven could never really integrate in the Ancestor Worshipper traditions and that the Temple would view any attempts to weasel their way into their traditions as an affront that would need to be repaid in blood. Many think the Wolf keep to the Tarigani traditions, but most of the family rituals and traditions come from the time before the Mikado ruled the land and simply look a lot like the Tarigani customs of old. Lordship and territory Considering that almost all of the Gray Expanses are ruled in one or another by the Wolf, it could be said that the Garou family has the largest holding of any family, but since the territory is split and resplit to various vassals and servants of the Wolf, it is a bit further from the truth. In the end, the Wolf only controls directly a small patch of land near the former Yunjin capital and a large piece of the Expanses coast, a region now known as Lang by the locals. While it is probably the richest farmland in the region, along with the huge fishing and whaling fleets, it lacks mineral ressources and other key ressources which necessitate the Wolf to trade with the other regions of the provinces, which was also part of the original Wild Wolf plan to split the northern lands, pacifying local lords with trade rather then military might. While farming, usually growing barley, wheat and fruit trees, and fishing make up the bulk of the work in the region of Lang, Yunlao (the former Yunjin capital) has massive modern steel forges, shipyards and a bustling bronze casting industry. Lang, in itself, is a peaceful land, but the Wolf has built their reputation on their military might, and the rest of the Gray Expanses are rarely quiet, with lords trying to claim their independance, the Bear in the North always trying to show their might, the Peregrine Falcon constantly pushing at their border, ect... There are always 3 complete legions of samurais at arms and ready for combat, with a large contingent of professional ashigaru serving under them, armed with the latest steel weapons, armors and, in the early 21st century, muskets. They maintain a fairly large seagoing navy, not comparable to the Tigershark or Peregrine, but more than able to fight off foreign invasions, sea monsters and pirate raids, and their river fleet is also quite impressive, allowing for rapid troop movement along the many rivers of the Expanses. The Wolf lords are usually very careful and understanding, knowing that insulting the locals could cause major issues. Their constant dealing with the Temple has led them to fully understand the power of the peasantry, but they remain strict with the collection of taxes and demands for military service. The Wolf are strict adherent to the Way of the Stars, but quite a few of them also worship local spirits. Very few of them are Ancestor Worshippers. Vassal families The Wolf has quite a few vassals and servants, having built a massive network of trade alliances and imposed servitude throughout the former Yunjin territory. Unlike a few of the other large families, the Wolf has given important, ruling roles to mostly former Yunjin nobles and leaders to prevent dissent and appease the Temple, but the Rights of Dominance can easily be invoked on these territories, meaning that the Wolf has to make sure that dissenting Sons of Heaven are also dealt with in a timely manner. Important vassal families *The Zhuge of Ling *The Sima of Jin *The Zhao of Dahong *The Sun of Shi *The Lu of Wei Rivals and enemies The Wolf's greatest enemy has been the Bear for quite a few years, the two families entering into bitter feuds many times in their existence and even the Bureaucracy seems to be unable to defuse the tensions between the two groups. The Wolf also views the Peregrine Falcon has a bunch of "political animals" and have very little respect for them, and they dislike the Tigershark due to their ancestors and the fact they use their political influence to gain more power rather than their own skills. The Wolf also has a lot of local enemies, but most Yunjin leaders that decide to rise up against the Wolves of Lang usually are crushed without hesitation. Important members of the family #Early 21st century * Category:Great Families Category:Yunjin